Erling Haaland insists England should be regarded as one of the favourites to win the World Cup and should be 'confident' about beating Norway in their quarter-final on Saturday. England edged out Mexico in a 3-2 thriller at Azteca Stadium last Sunday to secure their place in the World Cup quarter-final, while Norway stunned Brazil as a double from Haaland sealed a 2-1 victory in New York.
Haaland's Golden Boot race
Haaland has been one of the standout performers in the tournament and is firmly in the race to win the World Cup Golden Boot with seven goals, level with Kylian Mbappe and just one behind Lionel Messi. But despite Norway's impressive run at the World Cup this summer, Haaland insists England should be considered as favourites to reach the semi-final.
Haaland's comments on England
Asked if England fans should stay humble for the game against Norway, Haaland replied: 'I think everyone should stay humble but they should be confident of progressing, definitely.' When asked about Norway's chances of winning the World Cup, Haaland said: 'Really low, still. I think there are some clear favourites out there. England is one of them. I think all of you should put every single pressure on the English lads.'
Norway's journey to the quarter-final
Norway finished second in Group I behind France after beating Iraq and Senegal, and Stale Solbakken's side sealed 2-1 wins over both Ivory Coast and Brazil in order to reach the quarter-final against England. 'I definitely didn't expect this at all,' Haaland said. 'I said it plenty of times before – even before the Brazil game I didn't expect, and I didn't expect us to be in the quarter-finals with Norway in the World Cup. It's quite surprising even for me.'
World Cup 2026 top scorers
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 8 goals
- Kylian Mbappe (France) – 7 goals
- Erling Haaland (Norway) – 7 goals
- Harry Kane (England) – 6 goals
- Ousmane Dembele (France) – 4 goals
- Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain) – 4 goals
- Jude Bellingham (England) – 4 goals
Haaland's World Cup experience
'I enjoy so many things. First of all, just to be able to play in the World Cup is just an honour and a huge goal for me in my career. To be able to be here and play on the biggest stage with my Norwegian friends against the best teams in the world is really special. Playing Brazil was kind of crazy for us Norwegians and to win against Brazil and to go and play England in the quarter-finals in the World Cup in the USA is quite special. I think if you watch the scenes back in Norway [you can see] it's not normal for Norway.'
